


Stranded

by Duck_Life



Category: X-Factor (Comics), X-Force (Comics), X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Michigan, Shatterstar (2018) - Freeform, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 08:54:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17505497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duck_Life/pseuds/Duck_Life
Summary: After Shatterstar teleports Rictor to Michigan, he's got to find a way to get back home. Set immediately after Shatterstar #2.





	Stranded

Tabby's phone rings and she glances over to see the zoomed-in photo of Rictor winking and sticking his tongue out. RIC CALLING blinks in bright green letters. “You've got Tabitha,” she says, holding the phone at an odd angle while she tries to let her nail polish dry. 

“Tabs,” Ric says, “it's me, Rictor.”

“Mm-hmm, sorry, can you be more specific?” she says, ribbing him because it's familiar and fun, and she never really outgrew being a brat. “Is this ‘aging Harry Potter’ Rictor or ‘macho ‘90s’ Rictor or ‘underground punk’ Rictor?” He mumbles something insulting in Spanish and she laughs. “What's up, Rikki Tikki Tavi?”

“... I'm stranded in Michigan.”

“You're  _ where _ ?” she spits, almost knocking over her still-open bottle of nail polish. 

“Michigan,” he grits out. “Shatterstar kissed me and then  _ threw me _ to Michigan.”

“Okayokayokay, back it up buttercup,” Tabby says. “Shatterstar kissed you? Are you guys back together?”

“No… I mean, I don't think so… no, we're not,” he sighs. She pictures him tugging at his hair. “Look, the point is that I’m 600 miles away from home and I don't have a car or bus fare or anything.” He sighs. “Can you come get me?”

“I would, but…” She glances at the strip of photobooth pictures taped to her vanity mirror— herself making funny faces and flipping off the camera, Illyana beside her looking sullen and solemn but for the mischief in her eyes. “My favorite teleporter is out of commission.”

“Yeah,” Rictor sighs. “Mine too.” He’s talking about his ex-boyfriend though and she's talking about her… something. Someone. She doesn't want to think about the correlation. “Can you just get Pixie or something?”

Tabby frowns. “Miss Kitty says I'm not allowed to talk to any of her students after the Dave and Buster's Incident.”

“Shit.”

“It's okay, I'll think of something,” Tabitha says. “Oh, do you wanna get brunch?”

Rictor makes an exasperated sound but then says, “Yeah, fine."

* * *

A couple phone calls and a prayer later, Tabby watches with her eyebrows raised as a familiar Irish spitfire materializes in her apartment. “Tabitha.”

“Babe!” Tabby shrieks, throwing her arms around Terry Cassidy. “How  _ are  _ you? What is it like being a goddess?”

Terry cracks a smile. “I'm not exactly a goddess,” she points out. “I possess the eternal spirit of the original warrior banshee…” She stops, smiles. “Okay, maybe I'm a wee bit of a goddess.”

“And she's modest, too,” Tabby grins. “A modest goddess. Hey, you're a moddess!”

“God, I've missed you,” Terry says, tucking a lock of Tabby's hair behind her ear. “So what's up? Somebody lost their marbles and needs fixin’? Do I have to de-demonify anyone again?”

That hadn't occurred to her, that Terry might be able to help Illyana… and Xi'an, and Guido, and Rahne, and Dani… wherever the hell they are. But one thing at a time. “Rictor's stranded in Michigan. I need to go get him.”

“So I'm your taxi service?” 

Tabby wrinkles her nose. “More like a Lyft. With really great hair.”

“Pfft. Ye don't have to butter me up,” Terry says. “Take my hand.” With a flash and a twist, they're gone.

* * *

Tabby and Terry show up in a coffee shop full of retired seniors and one pissed-off punk-rock earthshaker. “It's okay, nobody panic,” Ric assures the rest of the coffee shop, shooting his friends an exasperated look. “Just a couple'a mutants out for a jaunt. No big deal.”

“Hello, Julio,” Terry says. He reaches out like he's going to shake her hand and instead pulls her into a hug.

“ _ Dios _ , it's good to see you, Terry.”

“Hell am I, chopped liver?”

“Hey, Tab,” he says, hugging her too. “C'mon, let's get out of here. These old folks are lookin’ at Terry like she's a witch.”

“I am.”

“Actually, she’s a moddess,” Tabby explains, linking arms with both Julio and Terry as she guides them onto the street. 

“Hell’s that?”

“A modest goddess, duh,” says Tabby. “Anyway, why’d Shatty throw you to Michigan of all places? Did he want you to see where ginger ale was invented? Or the longest freshwater shoreline in the world?”

“Huh?”

“Or the largest crucifix in the world?” she spouts off. “It’s called the Cross in the Woods.”

“Are… are you looking up fun facts about Michigan right now?” Rictor asks, turning and reaching for her phone. 

She runs forward, yanking her phone out of his reach. “No! I’m not! But I  _ do _ , uh, just happen to know that Michigan is known as ‘the Wolverine state’... despite the fact that wolverines no longer reside here!” she says, eyes glued to her phone screen. 

“We could fix that,” Rictor muses. Unexpectedly, Terry starts laughing, loudly and opening. Her laugh sounds kind of strange, like bells, but still distinctly  _ Terry _ . 

“I’ve  _ missed _ this,” she admits, looking between Ric and Tabby. “You two bickering like toddlers. Sure, I get to do a lot of good now, but… kinda lonely.” Both of them look sobered by her admission. 

“You should come hang out,” Rictor says as the three of them resume walking down the sidewalk. It’s brilliantly sunny out, and the brunch place he found is just a couple of blocks away. “I mean, you should come hang out with the old gang more. We get brunch with Rahne and Sam a lot. Oh, and, uh, Jamie’s back alive again.”

“I know,” she says, her expression clouding over, her milk-white eyes looking grayer. “A version of him.” 

“Oh, shit!” Tabby says, looking at her phone again. “Guys, c’mon, we gotta hurry. This place stops serving bottomless Bloody Marys at noon!” She tears off down the sidewalk, leaving Rictor and Terry in the dust. 

“Wait for it,” Terry says, smiling. 

A moment later, Tabby does a full heel-turn and backtracks, her face red. “Shit, Terry, I am  _ so _ sorry. Was that super insensitive? I won’t get a Bloody Mary.”

Terry cackles. “I don’t have a problem with it. Go, drink to your heart’s content.” Tabby grins and peels off again. “Why did ye call her, anyway?” Rictor turns to give Terry a weird look, ready to be offended on Tabby’s behalf, but Terry corrects herself. “No, I mean, I’m thrilled to see her again. Just… what made ye call her and not me? I can actually teleport.”

“I… I dunno, Terry,” he says, kicking a stray piece of gravel into the road. “It’s not like I have your phone number.” 

“You could have prayed to me.”

“I figured you were busy.”

“Tch. My schedule today was have breakfast, go to my AA meeting and ease the grief of a widow in Glasgow.”

Rictor stares at her. “I don't know what I'm s'posed to take from that.”

“I had time for you! I have time for all of you,” she expounds. “I'm functionally immortal now.”

“Remember when Sammy was immortal? Or we all thought he was?” Rictor says, thinking back. “And everybody freaked out about it, especially Tabby. No, especially  _ Sam _ . It’s just… a lot to take sometimes. And you’ve been staying away. You admit that, right?”

“Y… yes,” she sighs, her cape swooping behind her in the breeze. He wonders if passersby think she’s in cosplay or just eccentric. “I mean, come on, Ric. I know how everyone talks about Jean Grey. They don’t need another redhead running around with god-like power from a mysterious ancient being.” 

Ric stops walking so he can actually look at her, and have her meet his eyes. She’s got those milky white pupiless eyes now, but so what? So does Ororo. So does Shatterstar, in his left eye. She’s still Terry. “You’re not the Phoenix, Terr. And even if you were… who cares?” He shrugs. “There’s more important stuff. X-Factor Investigations, X-Force. Hell, you and Tabs were in that weird street gang together, right? All that stuff, it doesn’t go away just because you got a little bit of a power upgrade.”

She smiles and looks down, a little self-conscious. “Well, I… I appreciate you saying that, RIc.”

“I’m not just  _ saying _ it, y’know.”

“I do know.” She nods once, and then picks up her pace. “C’mon, I’m starvin’! Let’s get some bacon. Do ye think I can just get, like, seven sides of bacon?” 

As they head in the direction Tabitha disappeared to, Rictor brings something else up. “Hey, when you say ‘ease the grief of a widow,’ is that, like… is that a sexual thing?” 

Terry scoffs. “I can’t believe ye’d even ask that.”

She keeps walking, and he’s still puzzling through it. “That’s not an answer! Is that a yes or a no? THERESA. Yes or no?” She’s walking faster than him, chuckling to herself, and it’s a little bit chilly in this Michigan resort town and Tabs may very well be on her second Bloody Mary already, but it’s all good. 

The universe is weird and painful, and there are gods and goddesses and portals and monsters, and sometimes all you can do is go to brunch with your friends. Sometimes that’s all you really need to do.    
  



End file.
